TREVISO – Sunday 7 April will mark the 80th anniversary of the bombing of Treviso which in 1944 caused 1600 civilian victims and the almost total destruction of the city’s building heritage. A particularly heartfelt anniversary in the area that the Municipality of Treviso, in collaboration with institutions and associations, intends to celebrate with a series of events, concerts and exhibitions in the city.
The program will start on Friday 5 April with the inauguration (at 6pm) of the exhibition at Palazzo dei Trecento “Voices, Stories, Memories around 7 April 1944” with a reading by Ist.Re.S.Co, which will involve numerous readers including Giandomenico Mazzocato, Nazzareno Acquistucci and Natalina Botter (in addition to the “Giuseppe Berto” association of Mogliano, ANPI of Treviso, Società Iconografica Trevigiana, Auser Popular University Choir, Spi Cgil) and the participation of the “Francesco Manzato” musical association.
The exhibition “Treviso Wounded – 7 April 1944-2024” will open at Palazzo dei Trecento on Saturday 6 April (times: Monday-Friday 9-13/15-18, Saturday and Sunday 10-19) organized by the Municipality of Treviso in collaboration with the Treviso Historical Photo Archive – FAST of the Province of Treviso. On the same day, at 9 am, the curtain will rise on the photographic exhibition “Takashi Paolo Nagai. Announcement from Nagasaki” on the figure of the Japanese doctor who survived the atomic bombing of Nagasaki, organized by the cultural association “Bepi Sarto” in collaboration with the Carmelite Fathers. This will be followed at 10 am by the inauguration of the documentary photo exhibition “80th year since 7 April 1944” set up by the “Doge” association and the National Association of War Mutilated and Invalids at the headquarters in Piazza Pio
At 2.30 pm, at the Santa Caterina Auditorium, there will be the “Passione 300” conference on music, an in-depth study on Johann Sebastian Bach organized by Frau Musika and the Bachiana Society. Bach will also be the protagonist of the concert in the Temple of San Francesco (8.30 pm) entitled “Cantate BWV 118,150,4” held by the musicians of the “Steffani Conservatory”.
On April 7, the anniversary of the 1994 bombing, the day of celebrations will begin with the Holy Mass scheduled for 10.30 am at the Church of Santa Maria Ausiliatrice, celebrated by Bishop Michele Tomasi with the participation of the Treviso tenor Francesco Grollo.
At 12.15 pm, the ceremony of laying the laurel wreath will take place on the plaque dedicated to the civilian victims of war in front of the staircase of Palazzo dei Trecento.
At 12.45, the representatives of the institutions, the citizens and 300 children from the comprehensive schools of Treviso will gather in Piazza dei Signori where, awaiting the tolling of the bell of the Civic Tower, some testimonies will be read by the students with musical accompaniment by the students of the “Luigi Coletti” comprehensive institute n.5. Furthermore, the tenor Francesco Grollo, accompanied by Maestro Antonio Camponogara, will perform the National Anthem and Gounod’s Ave Maria.
At the end of the seven minutes of reflection, at 1.13 pm, the National Aerobatic Team of the Air Force will fly over the city with the traditional tricolor to share a message of closeness and peace with the Treviso community. In the afternoon, at 3.45 pm, there will be the “Passion according to John” concert by the Frau Musika orchestra, an artistic-educational project born from an idea by Maestro Andrea Marcon and created by the orchestra of the Teatro Olimpico of Vicenza. At 4 pm, at the “Pio At 6pm, however, at the Tempietto di Santa Maria del Rovere, the Holy Mass will be celebrated (via Madonnetta 33) in memory of the 123 children victims of the bombing.
“We wanted to celebrate this anniversary by involving the entire community – the words of mayor of Treviso Mario Conte – The bombing of 1944 was a tragic event for Treviso but also the beginning of a story of resilience and the desire of a large community to get back on its feet to rebuild, as happened in just a few years. The scheduled events, in addition to being an opportunity to tell the new generations, are intended to be a way to share messages of peace and solidarity”.
